MAKE THE MOST OF GLEE


RETAIL LAB @ GLEE THEMES EXPLAINED


T


his year, the Retail Lab – one of Glee’s leading


trend-led


features, created in association with the HTA – will


focus


on “Happy Gardening”, as well as the changing consumer purchasing patterns and delve into the many ways that gardening can enhance our lives. Five key themes will sit under the Happy Gardening umbrella and will each have their own dedicated area in the Retail Lab to bring them to life:


Easy Gardening With younger gardeners lacking the basic horticultural knowledge of older generations, gardening to them is perceived to be complicated, time consuming with too much maintenance and responsibility for their busy lives. Easy Gardening is one of the easiest trends for garden centres to interpret in store and this will be demonstrated in the Retail Lab this year, to show there is no right or wrong way to garden and it’s ok for amateur gardeners to make mistakes. The exhibit will offer some great take-home ideas to implement straight away in plant areas: from plants in bloom, your


online presence and social media channels,


to styling choices and pre-planted


containers


made by your category managers working together to smartly place products together, this is a theme that can be embraced by all retailers to inspire customers, as well as encourage sales and return footfall.


Grow Your Own Grow Your Own is not a new trend, but it has seen a dramatic growth over the years and is now extremely popular with millennial and urban gardeners.


The rise is


due to young gardeners recognising the health- driven benefits


such as


the plant-based diet and the rise in veganism, whilst for other newcomers to the grow-your- own phenomenon is recognised as a cheap way to access healthy food, especially during the ongoing economic squeeze. A recent study showed that 43%


of gardeners under 40 grow their own vegetables compared to 32% of over 60s. Wyevale Garden Centres 2018 Garden Trends Report also revealed that 90,000 Britons were on the waiting list for allotments.


The Retail Lab will showcase how


garden centres can take advantage of this trend, how they can position themselves as the voice of the expert and what events or learning opportunities they can create for younger and older gardeners alike to build those relationships with customers that will see them return to the centre season after season. This could be as simple as events around growing more challenging crops, or even how to start your own balcony grow bed.


Pets


In a 2017 study by Mintel, it is estimated that the size of the pet market in the UK sits at around £16billion a year, with owners spending on average £95 a month on their pets, with that increasing in times of accidents or large vet bills. With pets often travelling to stores with their owners, impulse purchases are more likely, so making your centre pet friendly is key to increasing spend with this pet


loving consumer and


encourages repeat visits. With almost 50% of the UK now owning a pet, the additional revenue potential that pet products can offer garden retailers is unrivalled by any other product category.


24 DIY WEEK 24 AUGUST 2018


The Retail Lab this year will have a dedicated pet section, providing retailers with ideas for effective product displays, educational tips and advice, as well as a showcase of the latest pet products on the market. With the garden centre market offering enormous potential growth for pet suppliers, this is an area not to be missed if you are looking to expand into this booming sector.


Play


In a world where our lives are occupied by computer screens, TV and other forms of technology, it is extremely beneficial to get children out into the garden to excite their senses and get them to engage with nature. There is well researched evidence that children who get involved with gardening at a primary school age fully embrace all the outdoors has to offer. Gardening already covers so many parts of


the National


Curriculum and also has many health and wellbeing advantages, including physical health, mental wellbeing, social skills, and behaviour. Engaging a younger generation is vital if retailers want to continue to see footfall in the long term. The Retail Lab will explore how we can communicate this to parents, how to include the whole family in this activity and most importantly, how to encourage kids to grow.


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